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Pakistan court orders authorities not to 'harass' ex-PM's supporters, remove advisors from no-fly list

Advisers of former prime minister Imran Khan, Barrister Mirza Shahzad Akbar (right) and Dr. Shahbaz Gill are addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, on December 2, 2020. (PID/File)
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Updated 13 April 2022
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Pakistan court orders authorities not to 'harass' ex-PM's supporters, remove advisors from no-fly list

  • Khan’s PTI party has also prepared a petition against ‘harassment’ of social media activists
  • FIA reportedly launched crackdown against pro-PTI social media users maligning state institutions
Updated 13 April 2022
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Wednesday instructed the country’s premier border control and crime investigation agency not to harass people while ordering it to remove the names of the top advisers of former prime minister Imran Khan from a no-fly list.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had placed the names of six of Khan’s close aides, including his former advisers on accountability and political communication, Shahzad Akbar and Shahbaz Gill, respectively, on its “stop list” after the previous administration was brought down by its rivals through a no-confidence vote.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC), however, suspended the FIA orders to stop these individuals from flying abroad after a petition was filed which requested the court to lift the restriction.
“This is a serious matter,” the IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah was quoted by Geo News. “The court will never allow action based on vengeance [against former government officials].”
A senior FIA official present at the court said the agency had received the IHC instruction to remove the names of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders on Tuesday night while assuring the court that the order would be followed in letter and spirit.
The FIA’s stop list carries the name of people who are not allowed to fly out of the country. It is different from the exit control list which requires more elaborate procedures and time to put an individual’s name on it.

SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVISTS
The former planning minister in the PTI administration, Asad Umar, also announced on Tuesday that his party had prepared a petition against what he called the “harassment” of pro-PTI social media activists and supporters which would be filed in the high courts.
Umar’s statement came as Pakistani media widely reported that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had made arrests as part of a crackdown on Tuesday on social media activists that it believed were involved in an organized online campaign against institutions, especially the army.
“Petition challenging the harassment of PTI social media activists has been finalized and will be filed in high courts tomorrow (Wednesday) morning,” Umar said in a tweet on Tuesday.


The FIA counterterrorism wing reportedly sprang into action this week after a “vilification drive” against the army chief was launched on social networking websites following Khan’s ouster on April 10 in a no-confidence vote spearheaded by a joint opposition in the National Assembly.
Khan has repeatedly said the opposition campaign to oust him was a “foreign conspiracy” orchestrated by the US. Both Khan and his supporters have expressed disappointment that the military and army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa did not support him against the alleged foreign plot and block his ouster.
Since Khan’s ouster on Sunday, top trending hashtags on Twitter have targeted the army, the judiciary and the new government, with tweets using those hashtags soaring past 4.3 million by Wednesday. One hashtag that remained the top trend in Pakistan for three days was #BajwaSurrender.
On Tuesday, the Pakistan army also commented on the online hate campaign after a meeting of formation commanders: “The forum took note of the recent propaganda campaign by some quarters to malign Pakistan Army and create division between the institution and society.”
“We have arrested some eight suspects in connection with a social media campaign against the army and the judiciary from different parts of Punjab, including Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad and Gujrat. More arrests are expected in the coming days,” an FIA official told Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper.
“One of the arrested suspects has 22 fake accounts on social media targeting the army and judiciary,” the official said, adding that the FIA had been provided by intelligence agencies with a list of 50 people allegedly behind the smear campaign.
On Sunday, the house of Khan’s focal person on digital media, Dr. Arsalan Khalid, was raided in Lahore by plainclothes officers, who took away a laptop and some mobile phones. Khalid, whose name has been placed on a no-fly list, is reportedly in hiding to evade arrest.

 

Topics: Pakistan fia

Imran Khan calls off talks with Pakistan government over deadlock on judicial commissions

Updated 5 sec ago
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Imran Khan calls off talks with Pakistan government over deadlock on judicial commissions

  • First round of talks aimed at cooling political instability took place on Dec. 23 with two follow up sessions on Jan. 2 and 16
  • At last round of talks, PTI gave government seven days to announce judicial commissions into May 2023 and Nov. 2024 protests
Updated 5 sec ago
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has called off negotiations with the government over its failure to establish judicial commissions to investigate violence at anti-government protests organized by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), party chairman Gohar Khan said on Thursday.
Negotiations started last month with the aim of cooling political temperatures in the South Asian nation and three rounds have been held so far. 
The PTI’s demands to the government revolve around the release of all political prisoners including Khan, and the formation of two judicial commissions to probe into violent protest rallies, including one on May 9 , 2023, when PTI supporters rampaged through military offices and installations, and a second one on Nov. 26, 2024 to demand Khan’s release, in which the government says four troops were killed. At the last meeting on Jan. 16, the PTI had given the government seven days to announce the truth commissions, a deadline that expired today, Thursday. 
A Pakistani court last week sentenced Khan to 14 years in prison in a land corruption case, a setback to the nascent talks’ process.
“We [PTI] had given the government time of seven days [to form commissions],” Gohar told reporters outside the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi where Khan has been incarcerated since 2023. 
“Khan had made it clear that if the formation of the commissions is not announced during this time, then further rounds of talks will not continue … It is sad that the government did not announce anything till today. Hence Khan has called off the negotiations.”
Irfan Siddiqui, the spokesperson for the government’s negotiation committee, said on Wednesday the government would respond to the PTI party’s written demands on Jan. 28.
The talks opened last month as Khan had threatened a civil disobedience movement and amid growing concerns he could face trial by a military court for allegedly inciting attacks on sensitive security installations during the May 9 protests.
Khan’s first arrest in May 2023 in the land graft case in which he was sentenced last week sparked countrywide protests that saw his supporters attack and ransack military installations in an unprecedented backlash against Pakistan’s powerful army generals. Although Khan was released days later, he was rearrested in August that year after being convicted in a corruption case. He remains in prison and says all cases against him are politically motivated.
Protests demanding Khan’s release in November also turned violent, with the PTI saying 12 supporters were killed while the state said four troops had died.

Topics: Imran Khan Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party

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Pakistan holds first training session for Hajj 2025 pilgrims

Updated 15 min 17 sec ago
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Pakistan holds first training session for Hajj 2025 pilgrims

  • Around 500 selected pilgrims from the Pakistani capital, suburban areas attended the training workshop
  • The first phase of pilgrim training sessions will continue across the country till February 27, ministry says
Updated 15 min 17 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry has held its first training session in Islamabad for pilgrims selected for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage, it said on Thursday.
Around 500 selected pilgrims from the federal capital and its suburban areas attended the training workshop, who were briefed on administrative matters and Hajj rituals.
Hajj pilgrims are being provided training through audio-visual devices and other materials, according to the Pakistani religious affairs ministry.
“The first phase of training will continue across the country till February 27,” the ministry said. “The second phase of training will start after Ramadan.”
The development comes days after Pakistan began training of pilgrims, with the first session in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia this month signed the Hajj agreement 2025, under which 179,210 pilgrims from the South Asian country will perform the annual pilgrimage this year. The quota is divided equally between government and private schemes.
Pakistan’s latest Hajj policy has allowed pilgrims to make payments in installments for the first time. Under this scheme, the first installment of Rs200,000 ($717) had to be submitted with the application, the second installment of Rs400,000 ($1,435) within 10 days of balloting and the remaining amount by Feb. 10 this year.
The Pakistani religious affairs ministry has also launched the Pak Hajj 2025 mobile application, available for both Android and iPhone users, to guide pilgrims.
Additionally, the government has announced a reduction in airfare, lowering ticket prices for federal program pilgrims to Rs220,000 [$785.41], down from last year’s Rs234,000 [$835.39].
The Pakistan International Airlines, Saudi Airlines, and private carriers have agreed to transport pilgrims this year.

Topics: Hajj 2025 Pakistani Hajj pilgrims Pakistani Hajj mission

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Pakistan lawmakers seek Musk apology before Starlink approval

Updated 23 January 2025
AFP
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Pakistan lawmakers seek Musk apology before Starlink approval

  • Musk’s Starlink satellite Internet service has applied for a license to operate in Pakistan, but is awaiting clearance before users will be allowed to log on
  • ‘Several senators denounced’ Musk’s ‘anti-Pakistani propaganda’ in recent comments he made on social media platform X, says Senate committee chair
Updated 23 January 2025
AFP

Islamabad: Pakistan senators are demanding an apology from billionaire Elon Musk, a lawmaker told AFP on Thursday, accusing him of “anti-Pakistan propaganda” as he seeks regulatory approval for his Starlink service in the country.
Musk’s Starlink satellite Internet service has applied for a license to operate in Pakistan but is awaiting clearance before users will be allowed to log on.
A senate committee on information technology and telecommunications met Wednesday to hear updates from officials assessing his application.
But committee chair Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan told AFP “several senators denounced” Musk’s “anti-Pakistani propaganda” in recent comments he made on his social media platform X.
Musk has repeatedly highlighted claims that men of Pakistani origin were responsible for a spate of historic rape cases targeting mostly white girls in England.
“It was said that approval should be given on condition of his apology,” Khan told AFP.
“We are not saying it should be a pre-condition but it was a part of the discussion and we can only give our recommendations to the government,” she added.
Musk began launching attacks against the UK government this month after it resisted calls for a national inquiry into the historic abuse cases.
In Rotherham, a town of 265,000 inhabitants, a gang drugged, raped and sexually exploited at least 1,400 girls over a 16-year period from 1997, a public inquiry concluded in 2014.
A series of court cases eventually led to the conviction of dozens of men, mostly of South Asian origin. The victims were vulnerable, mostly white, girls.
An Indian lawmaker made a post on 8 January saying: “They aren’t ASIAN Grooming Gangs but PAKISTANI grooming gangs. Why should Asians take the fall for one absolute rogue nation?“
Musk commented with a message saying: “True.”
The historic abuse cases regularly prompt debate in the UK, where some claim they are used to enflame Islamaphobia while others say they are being quashed to prevent debate.
Whilst Musk’s electric vehicle and space ventures made him a billionaire, he has recently emerged as a political figure affiliated with newly inaugurated President Donald Trump.
Trump has tasked Musk, the world’s richest man, with slashing billions of dollars of federal government spending as head of a new “Department of Government Efficiency.”

Topics: Pakistan Internet Elon Musk satellite

Pakistan minister discusses Afghanistan situation, regional peace in meeting with US congressmen

Updated 27 min 28 sec ago
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Pakistan minister discusses Afghanistan situation, regional peace in meeting with US congressmen

  • Development comes amid Pakistan’s strained ties with Afghanistan over surge in militant attacks
  • US withdrawal from Afghanistan marked significant shift in regional dynamics and Pak-US relations
Updated 27 min 28 sec ago
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has discussed the situation in Afghanistan and peace in South Asia region in a meeting with United States (US) Congressmen Joe Wilson and Rob Bresnahan in Washington, the Pakistani government’s information wing said on Thursday.
The development comes amid Pakistan’s strained relations with Afghanistan over a surge in militant attacks that Islamabad has blamed on militant groups operating out of Afghanistan. Afghanistan denies the allegation.
Most of these attacks have been claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, a militant group that Pakistan believes to be an ally of the Afghan Taliban rulers and says has been emboldened since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in Aug. 2021.
Naqvi, who is currently on a visit to the US, held separate meetings with both Republican congressmen in Washington, according to the Press Information Department (PID) in Islamabad.
“They exchanged views on matters of mutual interest, promotion of Pakistan-US relations, and establishment of lasting peace in the region, particularly the situation in Afghanistan,” the PID said in a statement.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi (second right) meets United States Congressman Rob Bresnahan in Washington, US, on January 22, 2025. (PID)

During the meetings, both sides highlighted the importance of boosting trade and cultural exchanges to strengthen US-Pakistan relations.
Relations between the US and Pakistan have also seen significant ups and downs in recent years. The countries collaborated during the Cold War and in the fight against Al-Qaeda after 9/11.
However, ties between Washington and Islamabad deteriorated as the former suspected the latter of supporting the Taliban in their 2021 takeover of Kabul, allegations which Islamabad rejected.
Tensions rose further in 2022 when former Pakistan premier Imran Khan accused the Biden administration of orchestrating his ouster via a parliamentary vote, a charge the US denied, and more recently over Pakistan’s missile program.
During the meetings, Naqvi described the US as a “strategic partner” of Pakistan, and hoped that President Donald Trump’s second term would bring new dimensions to Pakistan-US relations
“Both sides explored ways to enhance cooperation in various fields,” the PID added.

Topics: Afghanistan Pakistan

Opposition says Pakistani government seeking sweeping controls on social media

Updated 23 January 2025
AP
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Opposition says Pakistani government seeking sweeping controls on social media

  • The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act would create an agency with the power to order ‘unlawful and offensive content’ blocked, to ban individuals and organizations from social media
  • Social media platforms would be required to register with the new Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority, and those failing to comply with the amended law could face bans
Updated 23 January 2025
AP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s opposition said Thursday the government is seeking to further suppress freedom of speech a day after it proposed sweeping controls on social media that could include blocking platforms and sending users to prison for spreading disinformation.
The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, introduced in the National Assembly by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Wednesday, would create an agency with the power to order “unlawful and offensive content” blocked from social media and to ban individuals and organizations from social media
Social media platforms would be required to register with the new Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority, and those failing to comply with the law could face temporary or permanent bans.
The law also makes spreading disinformation a criminal offense, punishable by three years in prison and a fine of 2 million rupees ($7,150).
The move comes nearly a year after Pakistan blocked the X platform ahead of an election that the opposition party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan says was rigged. X is still blocked in the country, although many people use virtual private networks to access it, like in other countries with tight Internet controls.
Khan has a huge following on social media, especially X, where supporters frequently circulate demands for his release. Khan has been behind bars since 2023, when he was arrested for graft. Khan’s party also uses social media to organize demonstrations.
The leader of the opposition denounced the proposed legislation, saying it was aimed at further suppressing freedom of speech. Omar Ayub Khan, who is not related to the imprisoned former premier, said the bill could “lay a foundation for the suppression of voices advocating for constitutional rights”.
The new agency would be able to order the immediate blocking of unlawful content targeting judges, the armed forces, parliament or provincial assemblies. The law also forbids uploading remarks from parliament that have been struck from the record.
Pakistani media has faced growing censorship in recent years. Journalists have said they face state pressure to avoid using Imran Khan’s name, and most TV stations have begun referring to him only as the “founder of the PTI” party.
Human rights defenders and journalists’ unions have vowed to oppose the law, but with the government holding a majority, its passage is all but assured.
Afzal Butt, president of the Federal Union of Journalists, said the law was an attempt to suppress the media, social media and journalists.
The government says the law is necessary to limit the spread of disinformation.

Topics: Pakistan social media

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